MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection Markus Howard scored a game-high 26 points while Sam Hauser added 21 points and Ed Morrow poured in a career-high 18 points to lead No. 20 Marquette over North Dakota, 92-66, on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.
 
The Golden Eagles (9-2) shot at a 58.6% clip in the victory, the highest by any UND (6-6) opponent this season, including hitting 11-of-20 from deep. UND struggled from distance, draining a season-low three on 20 attempts in the contest.
 
Cortez Seales reached double figures in scoring for the 10th time this season, leading the Fighting Hawks with 14. The senior was also the team's top rebounder, collecting seven boards, two assists, and a steal.
 
Filip Rebraca crossed the 10-point plateau for the fifth time in seven starts with 12 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a rejection. The freshman continues to lead the Hawks with 12 total blocks.
 
Junior Marlon Stewart made his 2018-19 debut on Tuesday after missing the first 11 games to focus on his academics. In 21 minutes of action, Stewart scored seven points, dished out two helpers, collected a steal, and also helped UND on a 13-0 run in the second half.
 
UND forced a season-high 22 turnovers in the loss, led by Billy Brown's and Kienan Walter's career-high four steals. The duo helped the Hawks tally 19 points off turnovers while committing only 14 as a team.
 
Marquette came out swinging to open the game, hitting its first three shots from the field and holding the Fighting Hawks scoreless for over three minutes to build an early 7-0 lead; however, UND rallied with the next five points to trim the deficit down to 7-5 at the contest's first media timeout.
 
The Golden Eagles kept trying to throw the knockout blow in the early going, but the visitors kept standing tall. After MU grabbed a 17-9 advantage and on a fastbreak, Brown came up with a strip that led to a behind-the-back pass from Stewart to Walter to help spark a 9-2 run to chip the lead down to 19-18 with just over eight minutes to play in the opening half thanks to 11 Marquette turnovers.
 
After cutting it to one, Howard and Marquette started to take control. The junior drained four triples, hit six of his first seven shots, and dished out a pair of assists to help the Golden Eagles outscore the Hawks, 30-9, over the final seven minutes of the frame to take a 49-27 lead into the halftime break.  
 
Seales continued to hit shots in the opening minutes of the second half, crossing into double figures for the 10th time this season. Rebraca joined the senior in double figures before Stewart saw his first basket of the season drop to try and chip into the Marquette lead.
 
UND held the Golden Eagles scoreless for over four minutes and scored 13 straight points to force a timeout from the hosts with just under nine minutes to play in regulation. Stewart tallied back-to-back buckets while Aanen Moody hit a triple from the corner to spark the run, but the Hawks still trailed 72-55.
 
After the run, Marquette doubled up the Hawks with a 12-6 spurt to build an 84-61 advantage heading into the final media timeout. From there, the Golden Eagles kept their distance in a 92-66 victory.
 
North Dakota remains on the road for its final nonconference matchup of the season, battling Northern Iowa on Saturday at 1 p.m. from Cedar Falls.
 
NOTES: UND falls to 0-8 in the DI era against opponents ranked in the AP Poll … The 22 turnovers by Marquette are the most forced by UND this season … Cortez Seales has now scored 10+ points in 10 of the first 12 games this season … Filip Rebraca reaches double figures for the fifth time in seven starts … UND falls to 0-4 when two-or-fewer players reach double figures in scoring … Markus Howard's 26 points were the most by an individual opponent this season … Seales is now 20 points away from 1,000 in his career … Aanen Moody extends his three-point streak to 12 straight games … UND falls to 0-6 all-time vs. Marquette.